Empty mall to be converted to UCLA Research Park

UCLA recently acquired a former mall that it will convert into the UCLA Research Park that will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, as well as programs across other disciplines. The 700,000-sf property, formerly the Westside Pavilion shopping mall, is two miles from the university’s main Westwood campus. Google, which previously leased part of the property, helped enable and support UCLA’s acquisition.

Geothermal Technology

Rochester, Minn., plans extensive geothermal network

The city of Rochester, Minn., home of the famed Mayo Clinic, is going big on geothermal networks. The city is constructing Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) that consist of ambient pipe loops connecting multiple buildings and delivering thermal heating and cooling energy via water-source heat pumps.

High-rise Construction

Safdie Architects’ Shanghai office tower features glass-enclosed corner garden that ascends the 35-story structure

Safdie Architects has announced the completion of LuOne Mixed-Use Complex—a business, retail, and entertainment development in the Luwan district of Shanghai, China. The mixed-use complex consists of an eight-level retail galleria, which opened in 2018, and a 35-story office tower, which recently reached completion.

Casinos

New luxury resort casino will be regional draw for Shreveport, Louisiana area

Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana, the first land-based casino in the Shreveport-Bossier market, recently topped off. The $270+ project will serve as a regional destination for world-class gaming, dining, entertainment, and hotel amenities.

Engineers

Engineering goes hand-in-hand with design, putting a practical lens on the architect’s vision and finding the best way to make it happen. Without a talented engineer, the project will never reach completion, and certainly will not reach the standards of functionality and sustainability that the architect and client are seeking.

Upgrades to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will include the constru

Aug 20, 2013

First look: $550 million Billie Jean King National Tennis Center renovation

The United States Tennis Association has announced its plans for a sweeping transformation of the USTABillie Jean King National Tennis Center that will include the construction of two new stadiums, as well as a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium. The transformation will be implemented in three phases to begin at the conclusion of the 2013 US Open, with the goal of overall completion by the 2018 US Open.

Steven Burns | Aug 19, 2013

The secret to creativity is… a messy desk?!

Anyone whose desk resembles a war zone can proudly cite a new scientific study that suggests a messy workspace may actually help people think more creatively and stimulate new ideas.

Drew Ballensky | Aug 19, 2013

Discovery of hidden asbestos complicates DFW terminal renovations

The finding of more asbestos in Terminal B than expected, and the pending merger of US Airways and the airport’s largest tenant, American Airlines, is causing construction delays on a $2.3 billion Dallas/Fort Worth Airport terminal renovation.

Jim Young | Aug 19, 2013

Integration of solar panels in building skin seen as key net-zero element

Recent high-profile projects, including stadiums in Brazil for the upcoming World Cup and Summer Olympics and a bank headquarters in the U.K., reflect an effort by designers to adopt building-integrated photovoltaics, or BIPV.

Julie S. Higginbotham | Aug 16, 2013

Today's workplace design: Is there room for the introvert?

Increasingly, roaming social networks are praised and hierarchical organizations disparaged, as workplaces mimic the freewheeling vibe of the Internet. Research by Susan Cain indicates that the "openness" pendulum may have swung too far.

Aug 16, 2013

$5,000 in prizes to be awarded at BD+C's U40 Leadership Summit

Do you have the next big idea for improving the performance of buildings and the built environment? BD+C's 3rd Annual U40 Leadership Summit is your chance to shine—and share in $5,000 in prizes.

Aug 15, 2013

Design-build project delivery holds steady at nearly 40% of nonresidential construction: DBIA study

The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), the only organization that defines, teaches and promotes best practices in design-build, has released research indicating that design-build project delivery represents nearly 40 percent of total market share in the United States, based on dollar value at the end of 2012.

Sasha Reed | Aug 15, 2013

What do LEED and black magic have in common? A project principal leverages PDFs to demystify it for us.

LEED has become a labyrinth of standards which requires a full-time translator and tour guide to navigate. Now with LEED v4 on the horizon, I’m curious to see if any progress has been made to make these standards more consumable and applicable to true innovations within the six areas of sustainability.

Aug 15, 2013

Nonresidential construction finally gaining momentum: Gilbane summer economic report

Gilbane Building Company today announces the publication of the Summer 2013 edition of Construction Economics – Market Conditions in Construction. Based on an array of economic data, construction starts, and material cost trends, the data continues to show positive growth for the industry.

The Cal State Northridge Student Recreation Center is among five educational pro

Aug 14, 2013

Five projects receive 2013 Educational Facility Design Excellence Award

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) has selected five educational and cultural facilities for this year’s CAE Educational Facility Design Awards.